Road accidents in Telangana have witnessed a worrying escalation over the last six years, with both crashes and fatalities rising steadily across national highways, state highways and other urban–rural roads. Data presented in the Lok Sabha by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, in response to an unstarred question raised by Nizamabad MP Dharampuri Arvind, shows that total accidents increased from 21,570 in 2019 to 25,986 in 2024, marking a 20% rise. Fatalities climbed from 6,964 to 7,949, the highest in the six-year period.

National Highways (NHs) continue to account for a disproportionately high number of severe accidents. Telangana recorded 8,599 NH accidents in 2024, up from 7,352 in 2019 — a surge attributed to increasing vehicle density and high-speed corridors. Fatalities on NHs too grew from 2,491 in 2019 to 3,066 in 2024, reflecting the risks associated with long-haul and high-speed mobility.

The Minister noted that road safety audits are now mandatory at all stages of NH development — design, construction and operation — and that road safety components constitute 2.21% to 15% of NH project costs depending on the complexity of structures.

Accidents on state highways (SHs) fluctuated over the years, dropping from 2,501 in 2019 to 1,860 in 2023, before rising again to 2,028 in 2024. Fatalities followed a similar trend, declining from 902 deaths in 2019 to 686 in 2024.

Despite lower volumes compared to NHs, SHs continue to feature several blackspots, with MP Arvind raising concerns about structural deficiencies, blind curves and insufficient signage.

Minister Gadkari confirmed that 214 new blackspots were identified in the 2019–21 cycle, while 403 earlier blackspots persist, underlining the need for sustained rectification efforts.

The most alarming rise has been on “Other Roads” — urban arterial roads, rural roads, and local corridors. Crashes on these roads jumped from 11,717 in 2019 to 15,359 in 2024, an increase of nearly 31%.

Fatalities also rose sharply from 3,571 to 4,197, making these local roads responsible for over half of Telangana’s accident deaths. The Minister attributed these numbers to rapid urbanisation, increased two-wheeler usage, and inadequate enforcement in semi-urban belts.

Responding to MP Arvind, the Minister confirmed that Telangana has a total of 617 accident blackspots identified in recent cycles.

Corrective actions include Third-party safety audits, Speed-lowering infrastructure, improved junction design, Upgraded road markings and signage and Priority funds from NH development budgets

Compensation to Victims: Telangana Claims rise Sharply

Under the Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme, 2022, the Centre provides Rs 2 lakh for death and Rs 50,000 for grievous injury. Separate provisions allow cashless treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh per victim for seven days under the Cashless Treatment Scheme, 2025.

According to data from the General Insurance Council, from April 2024 to March 2025, Telangana filed 45 claims, of which 10 were paid, amounting to Rs 17 lakh. Likewise from April 2025 to November 2025, claims surged to 202, with 63 claims paid, totalling Rs 97.5 lakh.

The steep rise in claims reflects growing awareness of the revised hit-and-run compensation mechanism and improved coordination between state agencies and the National Health Authority.